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18 July 2010
There's a number of moves or transactions I could point to in order to demonstrate the craziness of the NBA this summer, but perhaps this one takes the cake: Darko Milicic will receive $20 million over the next four years from the Timberwolves. If you're not sick after reading that, then you haven't been paying attention.
In recent memory, we've never seen a summer like this one, with the huge free agency deals, multiple multi-player trades, and..shall we say...questionable personnel moves by nearly every team. There were so many rumors floating around this summer that it was nearly impossible to track who was going where and for how much. At one point, I believe there was a sign-and-trade involving David Lee, Hank Aaron, the late Ted Kennedy and three members of Phish, although it fell through because the band members refused to relinquish the rights to their hit song "Gin & Juice" (that's for you Smooth).
With that in mind, here's a look at each team's off-season, including trades, free agency signings and the draft. For these lists, I've only included new additions to the roster, not players who resigned (you'll also notice I took some liberties with the use of the word "significant"). As I write this, there's still some pieces yet to fall into place, but the majority of the player movement should be completed. Too bad we only have to wait another three months for the actual games.
Here's a look at the Pacific. Coming up tomorrow, the Southwest.. Be sure to check out the Eastern Conference's Atlantic, Central and Southeast Divisions, as well as the West's Northwest Division.
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors
Significant additions: David Lee, Ekpe Udoh, Dorell Wright
Significant losses: Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike, Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow, Ronny Turiaf
Outlook: The addition of Lee, long one of the most under-appreciated players in the league, should boost a Warriors' front court that badly needs his rebounding and energy. Unfortunately, Lee's move out West isn't likely to get him any closer to the playoffs. Stephen Curry looks to be a future All-Star, and Monta Ellis is an explosive scorer, but beyond them, the Warrior's roster is thinner than Brandan Wright's arms. Andris Biedrins is solid in the post, and Wright could be a good wing in an up-tempo system, but there's very little depth anywhere, and playing in the loaded Western Conference does them no favors. If Wright and Udoh can stay healthy, they could help this team avoid the basement, especially if Curry and Ellis are able to develop more chemistry together in the backcourt. But the smart money says the Warriors are probably headed for a rough year.
Los Angeles Clippers
Significant additions: Al-Farouq Aminu, Eric Bledsoe, Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes
Significant losses: Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw, Drew Gooden
Outlook: Once again, the Clippers are loaded with young talent. Bledsoe and Aminu both have the potential to be very good, and when combined with Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon, the Clipper can boast as much young talent as any team in the league. Veterans Baron Davis and Chris Kaman can still get the job done, and the addition of Foye and Gomes will help the depth of the team tremendously. But...this is still the Clippers. The franchise seems to be under a constant dark cloud, and bad luck is always lurking around the corner. If they can keep everyone healthy, this is a team with a bright future. But even so, they're still probably too young to make much noise this season.
Los Angeles Lakers
Significant additions: Steve Blake, Devin Ebanks, Derrick Caracter
Significant losses: Jordan Farmar
Outlook: If you're sick of seeing the Lakers win, you're not going to enjoy this season. The Lakers return virtually everyone from their title team, save for reserve guard Jordan Farmar, who was really only used to hand out towels to Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Blake is an excellent addition to the Lakers with his basketball IQ and unselfish nature, and second-round picks Ebanks and Caracter both are talented enough to make the roster, although minutes will be sparse. With Kobe, Gasol, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum back, the Lakers will enter the season as the favorite to cut down the nets again. They'll likely have to develop a little more consistent depth as the West has gotten better, but barring injury, the Lakers should be in for another fantastic season.
Phoenix Suns
Significant additions: Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress, Hakim Warrick, Gani Lawal
Significant losses: Amare Stoudemire, Leandro Barbosa
Outlook: The post-Amare era begins this year in Phoenix, although his loss might not be felt as much as you think. Adding Turkoglu and Childress to the wings gives the Suns two more playmakers who will thrive in their fast-break offense, and although Warrick lacks the skills of Stoudemire, his athleticism should be a nice fit for their style of play. Lawal is a rugged rebounder who could provide toughness of the bench, and he could turn out to be a nice second-round steal. With Channing Frye back to stretch the floor, and Robin Lopez healthy enough to man the post, the Suns have plenty of weapons next to Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Grant Hill. We'll miss seeing the Nash-to-Amare alley-oops this year, but the Suns still will be heard from in the playoffs.
Sacramento Kings
Significant additions: DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside, Samuel Dalembert
Significant losses: Spencer Hawes, Andres Nocioni
Outlook: Perhaps no team is as poised to improve as rapidly as the Kings, with the addition of Cousins in the post. An absolute monster inside, Cousins could become one of the best big men in the league as a rookie if he's able to keep his emotions in check. He's got a nose for the ball off the glass, and he's already one of the strongest players in the league. Whiteside and Dalembert will provide solid depth up front with Jason Thompson and Carl Landry, and Omri Casspi could turn some heads this year if he's able to be more consistent. If the Kings are able to get anything from Donte Greene, they could pose a lot of match-up problems. But this team will go as far as Cousins and Tyreke Evans can take it. They're still a couple of pieces away from being ready to contend, but they've got two important cornerstones in place, and the future looks bright.
Predicted finish: LA Lakers, Phoenix, LA Clippers, Sacramento, Golden State
